Milwaukee Youth Council to unveil anti-car theft campaign

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Milwaukee City Hall

Milwaukee Youth Council to unveil anti-car theft campaign

Milwaukee City Hall

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Youth Council announced on Thursday, April 6th that it will launch a public service announcement and social media campaign, intended to combat the recent uptick in car thefts committed by teenagers. The announcement will come at a news conference on Wednesday at City Hall.

With the help of the City Clerk’s office and Milwaukee’s City Channel, a news release indicates teenage members of the Youth Council have recorded and produced a series of PSA videos that discuss the real-life stories of Milwaukee young people whose lives were destroyed in car theft incidents. Using the hashtag #NoFreeRides, the Youth Council will disseminate the videos through social media, and will make them available to local media outlets as well.

Youth Council President Kalan Haywood, II, a senior at Rufus King International Baccalaureate High School, said the following in a statement:

“What we are trying to do with the #NoFreeRides campaign is harness the power of peer pressure for something positive, and reinforce the message that car thefts aren’t funny, they aren’t cool—they’re just dumb, dangerous and illegal.”

The Youth Council meets regularly to discuss issues that affect their peers and their community, and provides counsel on such issues to members of the Milwaukee Common Council.